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NASCAR MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 16, 2016

David Pepper

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by David Pepper, general manager for ThorSport Racing and representing the No.88 Black Label Bacon/Menard's Toyota for Matt Crafton. Thanks for joining us.
DAVID PEPPER: Not a problem.
THE MODERATOR: ThorSport Racing is obviously no stranger to championships, having won titles with Matt Crafton and Junior Joiner in the past. How is the team prepared for the inaugural Chase in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as the team looks for another title?
DAVID PEPPER: Well, I think it was a lot of unknowns compared to the old points system. You know, we came into it, we had to ask a lot of questions of a lot of the chasers on the Sprint Cup side to kind of see how they positioned themselves to make a run at these different segments to keep advancing.
But you know, sometimes you have to points race, sometimes you have to try to win. The circumstances change. But I think it's been very exciting for the fans, and I mean, we're pretty excited after the year that we've had. To have an opportunity for one of our trucks to win the championship or compete to win the championship is pretty amazing.

Q. Matt alluded to it a little bit over the weekend, but with two championships already, is the pressure just way off him compared to everyone else, giving him a huge advantage?
DAVID PEPPER: No, I don't think the pressure ever stops. You win one championship, and that was amazing, and then we were able to become the first team to win back‑to‑back championships, and I think we actually put more pressure on ourselves to come out here and win three out of the last four. The goals don't change. I mean, we come out every week to win races and compete for championships.
I think we will always put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and I know Matt does, and both he and Junior Joiner, they're here to win the championship. I mean, I know it sounds kind of cliché, but anything less than that is really disappointing.

Q. And then the other thing Matt said was that there's no friends for him on the track other than the people in the yellow Menard's shirts. He basically said he was going to take his gloves off and be ready to fight until the end. Is that the attitude of the whole organization going into this big of a race?
DAVID PEPPER: You know, yes, the entire organization. Obviously all of the teammates, we're all cheering, we're all pulling for Matt to pull this off and win it for the company, but obviously we can't change the outcome with our trucks. They're there to compete to try to win the race and have the best finish they can, but Matt is going to drive hard.
It makes it very simple, you win the race, you win the championship.
I anticipate it being an incredible fight between Johnny and Timothy and Christopher Bell. I think they'll all be at the front of the pack. We will see just like last week in Phoenix, it'll go back and forth every lap on who is currently the champion at whatever lap they're talking about. Hopefully we end up on that last lap that we're ahead.

Q. With the fire at the shop earlier in the year and all the adversity that the organization has been through, would that just make this championship and the fight for it mean a little bit more?
DAVID PEPPER: I've got to be honest, it would. I think I said something a couple months back. We had all the first responders and all of the folks that helped us push trucks out in the fire and really get us to the next race and people offering up buildings for us to use. There's so many of them, you can't name them all. I made a comment, I said, if we could finish the year and have that magical storybook ending and win the championship, it's not just Duke and Rhonda Thorson and ThorSport winning a championship. It's really the entire community of Sandusky, Ohio, coming together and winning this, because there's so many people that contributed all across the racing community and locally there to get us to these races during our time of need that it would be really special, I think, for all of them, and we want to try to recognize as many of them as possible, that we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them.
So yeah, I think it does put a little bit more pressure on us because, you know, that would be a great accomplishment for what we had to go through. I mean, by no means will we use it as an excuse. I think any adversity makes you better. You saw the teams come together and work really hard together during the period of time there, the seven weeks that we were out of our building, and I just think it's made us stronger and maybe prepared us even more for trying to make this run at this championship.

Q. When you first signed on with this deal years ago, did you ever think ThorSport would be such a dynasty, going for three championships in a row, and with this new format, what's been the most memorable moment on this Truck Series Chase for you along the way?
DAVID PEPPER: You know, I think there's a lot of different moments for different people. I think mine is kind of carrying through the race at Phoenix where there was probably a 25‑lap segment of the race there coming down to the end where we're in, we're out, we're up by one point, we're tied, we're down by one. I mean, I can't even imagine what that was like on TV. I know what it was like being part of that. I mean, it was gut wrenching. You're battling, and Timothy would pass a guy and we'd be tied, and then he'd be up. You're 20 feet from being in the Chase trying to chase down the next guy in front of you on the track. I mean, I think it made for some really exciting moments. I know it'll be stuff that I remember.
You ask about dynasty; we don't even talk about that. It's just the next race up, the next season. We let you guys talk about we've had a really good run here the last few years, and the team has done really well. But we look at it season by season. We bring all of our trucks to the racetrack to win races. Win, lose or draw in two days, we'll bring all of our trucks back to Daytona, and the quest will be to win again with any one of our drivers.
We don't really look at it as trying to build a dynasty or be a dynasty or anything like that. We just want to be the very best race team we possibly can with the very best people, very best drivers, win races, and just compete at a high level.

Q. You've been around the Truck Series for many years now. What's your take on the new Chase format and how has it affected the championship battles in your opinion?
DAVID PEPPER: You make me sound old when you say I've been around for a long time. I'm just joking.
You know what, it's definitely added a different twist to it. You know, over the course of NASCAR racing, the points system has changed several times, and I think it has‑‑ every time you change it, it produces memorable moments. It produces great racing. I will always think that truck racing is some of the best racing in the world. NASCAR racing is some of the best racing in the world.
You know, I think it has definitely put an emphasis on winning races, and it's made guys, during the course of the year, I think we saw it in Canada, you've got to just about do anything to win a race to either keep a guy out of the Chase or get yourself in. It's made things very unpredictable, and that's a good thing. If it's the same thing every week, people get tired of watching it. If they have no idea what's going to happen next, people are going to tune in and watch what we do, and that's what we want to do. We want to be entertaining for the fans, and we want to put on a good show, and we want to be exciting.

Q. Now, you mentioned the emphasis on winning. I know if you would have asked Matt Crafton or Junior Joiner any other year or any race this year, they're constantly talking about how they just go out there to win races. Do you think those two living by that motto, win, win, win, has really helped them to be successful with this new Chase format this year?
DAVID PEPPER: You know, I think so. I mean, it's the different style with which you have to race this season with the Chase, I think it lends itself to certain drivers and crew chief combinations, their mentality. You know, I think you see the guys that are in the Chase, clearly Matt has that mentality, I know Johnny Sauter has that mentality from him being with us for a number of years.
You know, it definitely fits certain guys' driving styles, but Timothy has proven that with consistent good runs you can put yourself in a position to‑‑ he can come out here and win the last race and be the champion and he's had an incredible year.
I like the way the points system is put together where sometimes you have to win that race, but then other times you've got to really look around and say, all right, well, I've got to finish second today, and I've got to drive as hard as I possibly can to get to that spot because I need to keep this guy out or get myself in. I think it's a very unique system that NASCAR has came up with, and it's definitely made our sport very exciting.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us today, and best of luck to you and ThorSport Racing this weekend.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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